Screw cover container



Ailg- 1958 G. w. WIGERT 2,849,145

SCREW COVER CONTAINER Filed May 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.

GEORGE w. WIGERT BY m 67% mad/42 2% AT TORNEYS 1958 G. w. WIGERT 2,849,146

SCREW COVER CONTAINER Filed May 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i i .9 Z/ 4% if 7% f ij g if i" a) Z w 7! +54/ l l i 1 Ill IN V EN TOR.

GEORGE W. WIGERT ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiiice 2,849,146 Patented Aug. 26, 1958 SCREW COVER CONTAINER George W. Wigert, Union, N. J., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 23, 1956, Serial No. 586,842 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-40) eration with an interrupted screw cover utilized to seal the mouth of the container.

An object of the invention is the provision of a full open mouth container which may be effectively sealed by an interrupted screw cover which may be used as a reclosure for the container.

Another object is the provision of such a container which is provided with a sealing seat surrounding the mouth of the container for sealing engagement against the cover and wherein the sealing seat is formed with improved locking lugs for engagement with interrupted threads on the cover to tightly secure the cover in place on the container.

Another object is to provide such a container which is rendered tamperproof by the provision of a frangible seal attached to the sealing seat of the container.

Another object is to provide such a container wherein the cover is protected by a projecting bead on the container to avoid accidental loosening of the cover under rough handling.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of a sealed container embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the container shown in Fig. 1 with portions of the cover broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the container as taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the container with its cover removed to illustrate one of the locking lugs;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substan tially along the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 as taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 66 in Fig. 1;

Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged fragmentary top plan sectional views illustrating different related positions of the cover and the container during application of the cover to the container; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are enlarged sectional views similar to Fig. 3 and illustrating modified forms of the invention.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a sheet metal container made of tin plate, black iron or the like material and comprising a tubular body 21 (Figs. 1 and 2) having a bottom end 22 secured thereto in a suitable end seam 23. At its top end, the body 21 is provided with a full open mouth 25 (Figs. 2 and 3) defined by the side wall of the body. Surrounding this open mouth 25 the upper edge of the body terminates in a radially out ward projecting hollow edge curl or curled edge 27 which provides a smooth annular sealing seat for a screw cover 28.

The cover 28 preferably comprises a top panel 31 having a peripheral, depending skirt wall 32 which surrounds the curled edge 27 of the body in clearance relation thereto and which extends down adjacent the outside of the body 21. The skirt wall 32 preferably terminates in a hemmed edge 33. For sealing purposes, the cover 28 carries a resilient gasket 34 which may be made of rubber, cork, plastic, fibre, rubber compound or the like material, disposed adjacent the panel 31 for engagement against the top surface of the sealing seat edge curl 27.

A frangible seal 36, made of suitable fibrous, plastic, or metal foil material, preferably is stretched across the mouth 25 of the container to protect its contents as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. This frangible seal 36 preferably is a flat disc having ts outer peripheral edge portion, overlapping and adhesively secured to the top of the sealing seat edge curl 27.

The cover 28 is adapted to be screwed down tight on the body 21 to hold it in container sealing position. For this purpose the cover 28 is provided with a series of peripherally spaced, inclined interrupted threads 'or thread sections 41 (Figs. 1, 3, 7 and 8) formed in the cover depending skirt wall 32 and projecting radially inward for locking engagement beneath a series of locking lugs 42 formed in the sealing seat edge curl 27. The locking lugs 42 comprise vertically compressed or fiattened portions of the hollow sealing seat edge curl 27; the top and bottom wall portions of the edge curl being squeezed together to form a fiat open hem, the outer periphery of which projects radially outward beyond the edge curl 27 to form the locking lugs 42 as best shown in Fig. 2. These locking lugs 42 preferably taper or incline from the top face of the edge curl 27 toward its bottom face in the direction of tightening rotation of the cover as best shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 to correspond substantially to the inclination of the interrupted screw threads 41 on the cover.

Hence in applying the screw cover 28 to the container body 21, the cover is placed on the body edge curl 27 with its interrupted threads 41 disposed outwardly of the edge curl and in the spaces between the locking body lugs 42 projecting beyond the curl as shown in Fig. 7. In this position of the cover 28 the lower leading end of the cover threads 41 are disposed adjacent and slightly below the entrance or higher trailing ends of the locking lugs 42 on the body edge curl 27. Thence by rotating the cover in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 4, 7 and 8 the cover threads 41 are engaged and wedged beneath the locking lugs 42 as best shown in Fig. 8, to securely lock the cover in place on the body. By rotating or unscrewing the cover in the reverse direction to its original starting position shown in Fig. 7 the cover may be released and removed to gain access to the container contents (after removal of the frangible seal 36) and the cover may be replaced on the body for use as a reclosure.

As a modified form of the invention, Fig. 9 illustrates the cover 28 and its cooperating threads 41 and sealing seat edge curl 27 with its locking lugs 42 provided on a necked-in or reduced diameter neck portion 45 formed in the upper end of the body 21. Such a reduced diameter neck portion on the body 21 preferably is spaced radially inwardly from the outer face of the body wall to locate the cover skirt wall 32 radially inwardly of the body wall 21 to protect the cover skirt wall 32 from damage or accidental loosening through rough handling of the container.

In a similar manner, the cover skirt wall 32 may be protected in a further modified form of the invention as shown in Fig, 10. In this form of the invention a radially outwardly projecting annular bead 46 is provided in the body 21 at a location substantially opposite the terminal hemmed edge 33 of the cover skirt wall 32. The head 46 terminates just short of the terminal edge 33 of the cover skirt wall so as to allow a small clearance space therebetween to permit easy application of the cover to the body and removal therefrom and also to prevent inward flexure of the cover skirt wall to an extent which would loosen the cover.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A container comprising a tubular body having a radially outwardly projecting curled edge surrounding the container mouth, peripherally spaced portions of said curled edge being vertically compressed to constitute flattened cover locking lugs of double thickness projecting radially outwardly beyond the outer peripheral margin of said curled edge, and a screw cover having a depending skirt wall surrounding said curled cdge on said body, said skirt wall having peripherally spaced radially inwardly projecting inclined thread sections disposed in outwardly spaced relation to said curled edge for loose application of said cover thereover to engage said thread sections beneath said lugs upon rotation of said cover to lock the same in place on said container.

2. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein the top surface of said curled edge is fiat to constitute a sealing seat for said cover.

3. A container as defined in claim 2 wherein said cover is provided with a sealing gasket for fiat sealing engagement against the sealing seat on the top surface of said curled edge.

4. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein a frangible seal extending across said mouth is secured to the flat top surface of said curled edge.

5. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said body is provided with an upper integral neck portion containing said mouth and wherein said curled edge is provided on the upper end of said neck portion.

6. A container as defined in claim 1 wherein said body is provided with a radially outwardly projecting bead disposed in vertically spaced relation to and beneath said curled edge, said bead being further disposed adjacent and in closely spaced relation to the bottom edge of said cover skirt wall to protect the latter and prevent the cover thread sections from loosening when the container is subjected to rough handling.

7. A container comprising a tubular body having a radially outwardly projecting curled edge defining and surrounding the container month, said curled edge at spaced intervals around its periphery having vertically compressed portions constituting lugs projecting radially outwardly beyond said curled edge, and a screw cover having a depending skirt wall surrounding said curled edge, said skirt wall having radially inwardly projecting ininclined thread sections disposed in outwardly spaced relation to said curled edge for loose application of said cover thereover to engage said thread sections beneath said lugs upon rotation of the cover to lock the same in place on the container, the outer peripheral portions of said lugs being inclined to substantially correspond to the inclination of said cover thread sections to facilitate wedging of the latter beneath said lugs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,715,146 Fletcher May 28, 1929 2,056,947 Baechle Oct. 13, 1936 2,181,179 Eccleston Nov. 28, 1939 2,302,542 Gibbs Nov. 17, 1942 2,309,308 Gibbs Jan. 26, 1943 

